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Friday, May 29, 2009

Getting ready to take off for a week is so much work. All deadlines for the next week need to be done a week earlier. Everyone needs something now. Focusing on any one thing just doesn't happen. Everything is multi tasked. That said summer flowers are definitely here. These Japanese Irises are from my childhood. Every time I moved in the past I took these with me. A lot of my earlier wool pieces contained Japanese Irises. I think it's time to revisit them in sewing thread. The sun was so intense when I photographed these Irises the leaves and petals were almost transparent. It's amazing how washed out colours become in direct sunlight. These same irises by twilight will become a deep intense blue-purple. The yellows will glow. I will be out in a couple hours taking pictures with my new camera-a much more sophisticated slr digital camera then the small Nikon cool pix I have been using. Should make for some interesting comparisons.

Marking Progress for the WeekI am finally making progress on So Many Chances. I am about fourth done. I am going to need to do some speed weaving if I am going to finish this in time for the IWC conference in Durango at the end of July. I finally decided that I wanted my dice to be a little like the Mad Hatter's tea party. Just a little off. I decided that proper perspective wouldn't do them justice. The feather across the dark green blue mountains is being outlined in a glitzy grey black metallic sulkie thread. I was tempted to change the rib structure down to 10 to the inch to make the light reflect a little differently, but decided not two at the last minute because I thought it would look odd with only the feather being a different rib structure. I think I will be trying to weave the black feather again. I'd like to try some long jump soumack or brocading techniques to change the way the light is interflected and reflected just within the feather.

HOT DOG-Dog to hot for Demon Gnat behaviour

Should be a banner headline. It's a first.

Chine' and I both are finding the studio to warm to work in. Everything is dripping sweat. Of Course, if I wasn't leaving for Kona on Monday I would put the air conditioners in the windows.

Chine's vacation is to be with 6 year old Libby and run off tremendous amounts of energy playing tag and felony theft with her for the week.

I'll take a nap for a few hours and come work in the studio for a couple of hours in the middle of the night.

Tuesday, May 19, 2009

The last week or so has been interesting to say the least. Getting any weaving done was sometimes very difficult. The hand surgery is a total success. Now if the stitches and bruising in my palm would go away, I would be a happy camper, but the fingers work correctly-now. I am still trying to decide how to weave my black feather against the dark green mountains. Will start that tomorrow.

Thursday Jen, Sara and I will warp the new portable treadle loom that FFP designed and will hopefully be selling them by Midwest. Karen Pierosch wrote a very good article on making a portable table loom. It’s in the new handwoven. I love the fact it has drawers and a handle for carrying it. The height of the weaving is adjustable which is way cool. I have ordered one of the easels for use in the studio. I am looking forward to twain it with me when I go fishing with Spencer. I just go for the scenic sights. I am a vegan who doesn’t touch dead things.

I attended the Connections opening in San Jose. It was fun seeing and talking to old friends. I was extremely pleased with the presentations of the tapestries. It was a kick to see Peter’s work on the walls with the rest of us. Peter Rocci has been my student since almost the beginning of his tapestry weaving. Shelley Socolofsky had him first in high school. Maxima Laura’s work is breathtaking. I would really like to study is technique a lot

My feelings for a few of the pieces still boils down to a matter of what is appropriate scale, size and format for a well designed small format tapestry. Several pieces left me a wondering a bit. Sometimes the rib structure overwhelms the design in small format tapestries. Besides Maxima Laura’s work I was intrigued by Jean Pierre’s elegant Retablo and Joyce Hayes use of soumack.

Best of all I was able to pick up Jean-Pierre and Yael’s new book Water Song Tapestries-Notes on designing, weaving and Collaborative work. It’s not a long book, but it’s a total fascinating read. It includes Yael’s drawings and parts of her cartoon process. Her black and white drawings are elegant. I loved one of her sentences. A design, like a musical notation, is but a silent promise, yet you receive it as a gift.”

I am starting to play with the format of this blog and add things. Sometime before I leave for Kona I am going to attempt to put up a slide show and attach it to this blog.

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About Me

I am a tapestry weaver and writer. I have written 4 books on tapestry weaving. I enjoy training my Toy Pomerain-Chene'. I have been teaching tapestry since 1982. I enjoy photograpy, silver smithing, mythology and reading almost anything. I have owned and maintained an international tapestry list since 1996.

I am co-owner of Fine Fiber Press. My studio is called Between. I teach tapestry workshops and have private students that work in my studio. I exhibit Nationally and internationally.

Tapestry2005@yahoo.com

If you have an interst in discussing tapestry weaving, tapestry history, tapestry conservation on an ongoing listplease feel free to contact me to join the list at kathetoddhooker@comcast.net. The list has been in existence since august 1996 and at this point has 420 members.